Trio of International Trade Leaders to Visit MIIS for Fall Speaker Series

All three lectures will take place in the McCone Building at 499 Pierce Street.

September 27, 2010

Three nationally-recognized leaders will address current issues in international trade policy, including America’s global economic engagement, the significance of manufacturing and the future of U.S. – China trade, in a public lecture series hosted by the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ Global Trade and Development Initiative. Each speaker will address the topic of “American Business in the World Today” from individual perspectives informed by their extensive experience within both government trade policy circles and private industry.

The first event is on October 14 at 4:30 and will feature Christopher Padilla, Vice President of Governmental Programs at IBM. His lecture is titled “The Hole in the Middle: The Collapse of Support for America’s Global Economic Engagement…and How to Rebuild It”.

Christopher Padilla served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce before joining IBM. He led the International Trade Administration, and was appointed by the President to serve on the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People’s Republic of China. He has extensive experience in both high-level U.S. government positions and the private sector on matters related to international business and trade.

The second event is on October 21 at 7:00 pm. Charles W. Wessner, Director of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the National Academy of Sciences will give his lecture titled “Why Manufacturing Matters and What We Can Do”.

Charles W. Wessner is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise on innovation policy, including public-private partnerships, entrepreneurship and the special needs and financing of the high-technology industry. He regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress and national commissions, and lectures at universities in the U.S. and abroad, frequently addressing policy issues associated with international technology cooperation, investment, and trade in high-technology industries.

The third and last event in this series will be held on November 18 at 7:00 pm. Charles Freeman, Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, will give his lecture titled “The Politics of U.S.- China Trade: Nationalism, Competition and Interdependence”.

A second generation “China hand,” Charles Freeman has lived and worked between Asia and the United States his entire life. He is fluent in Mandarin and was the chief negotiator with China when he served as assistant U.S. Trade Representative, overseeing U.S. efforts to integrate China into the global trading architecture of the World Trade Organization. As a lawyer and business advisor, Freeman has counseled corporations and financial institutions on strategic planning, market access and other topics related to doing business in China.

All three events will be held at the Monterey Institute’s Irvine Auditorium inside the McCone Building at 499 Pierce Street, and are free and open to the public, with refreshments served following the presentation.